The only proper way to select wood is with wood in hand. Pictures do not give that much information other than what the face looks like.
First thing I check is wood grain flow from all six sides. Make sure the grain flow is straight on all four sides of the wrist. Use your thumb nail to see if the blank is dense and is dense all over. Some blanks go from hard as nails to semi spongy when the grain gets fancy. Look at both ends. If one is quarter sawn and the other is face or slab sawn you have a 90 degree twist in grain flow front to back. Twisted blanks can be a bear. If the twist is in the wrist run away from that blank. It will only break your heart when it cracks later.
Some blanks look great oversized but become very plain as you work them down to final size. I have a French Walnut 4 or 5 A blank I bought when Fagen went out of business that will be lucky to be 2 or 3 A when done unless it is some type of O/U with a club for a butt stock. The faces look great but all the figure is on the surface. The center, when view from both ends is very plain. Was a decent buy at a hundred but not at a grand they had on it.
If you are having someone stock your gun it is best to have them look at the blanks. A trained eye will see more things in a minute than most will see in an hour. Have both blanks shipped to them for selection. Both of these look good to us but to a stocker one will be better than the other. Don't let your love of eyecandy cause you to pick on looks alone. Pick for long term value and durability. A great blank will make a good lamp if it breaks and can not be repaired.
